Sen. John Thune will be the new Republican majority leader, ushering in the first leadership shift in 18 years but a sign that senators aren’t totally willing to relinquish the Mitch McConnell era.
Thune won, 29-24, on the second ballot against Sen. John Cornyn, despite an intense outside pressure campaign led by conservative commentators and MAGA allies in favor of Florida Sen. Rick Scott. Scott positioned himself as the most Trump-aligned of the three men running but lost on the first ballot.
Still, in his first press conference as leader, Thune vowed to be a unifying force for the GOP with a single-minded mission: advancing Donald Trump’s agenda and unwinding Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer’s record.